The Originals: Tallying Up the Mikaelsons’ Betrayals — Who Stabbed Whom?

The way Klaus (Joseph Morgan) tells it, the Mikaelson siblings’ history has been a tale of backstabbings and betrayals — and, he’s not far off. Though, to be fair, he’s usually the one holding the dagger. In light of The Originals’ most recent tale of familial betrayal, we’re tallying up all of the Mikaelson backstabbings over the last millenium. Here are the highlights.

Middle Ages: Elijah helps his parents bind Klaus’ werewolf side

When Mikael learned that Klaus was the result of an affair his wife, Esther, had with a werewolf, the Mikaelson patriarch had Esther perform a spell on Klaus that would bind his werewolf side. Elijah (Daniel Gillies) helped to restrain his brother so the spell could be performed, despite Klaus’ pleas that Elijah help him.

Middle Ages: Klaus kills their mother

Credit:
Quantrell D. Colbert/The CW

We’re going to classify Klaus’ murder of their own mother, Esther, as an epic betrayal — even if it wasn’t a direct attack against Elijah or Rebekah (Claire Holt). Klaus framed Mikael for the murder, and his siblings only found out the truth a thousand years later. But it still burned.

1820: Klaus kills the governor’s son

Our first example of Klaus killing some dude Rebekah has fallen in love with! (Though, there had to have been earlier ones we haven’t yet heard about.) When the siblings are living in New Orleans, Rebekah falls in love with the governor’s son. She asks Elijah if she can turn him, which her older brother advises against. Klaus settles the argument by throwing Rebekah’s love off of a balcony and to his untimely death.

1820: Klaus causes Celeste’s death

In 1820, Elijah also had his own love: the witch, Celeste. When Klaus starts a rumor that the bodies he’s been piling up are the result of the local witches’ looking for blood sacrifices, Celeste is killed. Though we now know her to still be alive in another’s body, Elijah mourned her death for the past few centuries. And it was basically Klaus’ fault.

1835: Klaus daggers Rebekah for loving Marcel

When Rebekah and Marcel first fell in love, they asked for Klaus’ permission to be together. When he refused, they still saw one another behind his back. He caught them, and made Marcel choose: his chance to be a vampire or Rebekah. Marcel chose vampirism and Klaus punished Rebekah by daggering her for the next 52 years. Harsh.

1919: Rebekah plots to have Klaus killed

When Rebekah eventually forgives Marcel for his choice, they realize they will never be able to be together if Klaus is alive. They plot to bring Mikael, who has been hunting them for the last millenium, to town. They trick the witch Genevieve into summoning him and, though Rebekah has regrets and pleads Genevieve to stop the summoning, it is too late.

1920: Klaus daggers Rebekah for loving Stefan

Credit:
The CW

Shortly following their exodus from New Orleans in the wake of Mikael’s arrival, Rebekah and Klaus spend their 1920s partying in Chicago where they meet Stefan. Rebekah falls in love with him and, when Mikael catches up with them, Klaus makes her choose: him or Stefan. When she chooses Stefan, Klaus daggers her. Again. He puts her body in the back of a car, and drives away.

The Vampire Diaries, Season 3: Klaus re-daggers Rebekah

In “Our Town,” Klaus retrieves Rebekah’s daggered body from Stefan. When he discovers that she has learned the truth about their mother’s murder, he decides to keep her daggered rather than face her anger and hurt when she awakens.

The Originals, Season 1: Klaus daggers Elijah

In an effort to convince Marcel that his intentions of friendship are pure (they’re not), Klaus daggers Elijah and hands him over to Marcel. Marcel gives Elijah’s daggered body to Davina, who spends her days trying to figure out a way to kill an Original.

Are we missing any epic betrayals (besides the many sure to come)? Sound off in the comments below!

Catch the next episode of The Originals on Tuesday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.

Kayti Burt is a contributing writer for Wetpaint Entertainment with a penchant for all things pop culture. Follow her on Twitter and Google+!